Brown, a frequent critic of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), had been mulling a potential bid in the General Election for weeks, especially if the mayor failed to draw a high-profile challenger in the Democratic primary.

Now that Gray appears to be in, Brown said he will support the chairman in his race against Fenty. But Brown said Tuesday he and Gray have discussed the possibility of Brown also filing as an independent, in case Fenty wins the nomination.

"We will just wait and see what happens, but if Chairman Gray is the candidate, I obviously would like to see him be successful," Brown said. "If he isn't, we obviously have to take a look at other options."

Brown, a former Democrat who switched his party affiliation in 2006 to capture one of the two minority seats on the council, said he would have to file as an independent candidate for mayor this summer, a few months before the primary.

Under that scenario, he said he would file but leave his campaign dormant until the conclusion of the Democratic primary.

"I would do what I have to do procedurally, and then get back to helping the (Gray) campaign," Brown said.

If Gray wins, Brown would drop out, he said. If Fenty wins, Brown said he would step in for the General Election, perhaps assuming the same organization that Gray amassed for the primary.

But Brown notes that he still has time to make a final decision. His first priority, he said, is continuing his work as the new chairman of the Committee on Housing and Workforce Development. Brown assumed that role when the council voted this month to strip council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) of his committee chairmanship.